There are many times and places where Cliff notes are all you really need. You get the gist of it without having to spend (waste) too much time and effort to pretend to be a part of it all. Much of life seems to be made up of just this type of activity. The very reason for a sports section in the newspaper and on the nightly news is to be able to talk about baseball the next day at work without actually having gone through the whole excruciating affair of watching it completely just so you can comment on the one or two highlights that they cover in the news.
The Cliff note version of life was (and I am sure still is) a big part of school life. Come on, admit it, you did not read every reading assignment handed out in its entirety. As an active youth you had way too much going on to lose too much potential fun on homework for school.
I was (and at times still am) a slow and methodical reader. I like to read every word and catch every meaning. For some subjects this is accomplished by going at a very slow pace. For other topics, ones with which I am very familiar or have been over similar items numerous times, I can move rather quickly. Case in point, I can now read through a business' annual report rather quickly though the first few took some long agonizing hours to review. Familiarity and a consistent format can greatly speed the process, just look at your favorite sitcom.
I may have been slow but I did love to read and often carried a book with me wherever I went always pulling it out to catch a snippet here or there. It is amazing how much you can accomplish with the little bit here and the little bit there that is always moving you forward toward your goals.
So what does this have to do with anything important like spending time having fun? Just this, how much have we missed out on by trying to get by in life just on the Cliff notes?
I am currently going over some old Mark Twain writings and have really found an appreciation for why he is listed as a famous writer with a sense of humor...and I am enjoying it.
This is not something I could have said if I had been forced to read him in grade school and then do a book report or take an exam on the readings, but now as a 'grown up' with a little time and experience under my feet I can honestly say I am enjoying reading Twain.
The same can be said for other classics and standards I've read along the way. There is some mighty meat and potatoes wisdom to be gained in some of this stuff that I didn't have time for in my younger days, and I am certain I wouldn't have gotten as much out of it back then either.
There are many times in life that must be experienced directly, hands on if you will. There are no substitutes. Cliff notes and cheat sheets will only get you so far, and then the rest of the walk is your own. The process of gaining your own testimonies is through your own efforts and must be done by you if you wish to own them for yourself.
The Scriptures are an example. I took a Bible as literature class in high school and though it was interesting to see a more secular view contrasting the one you get in church I will confess that I did not complete all my reading assignments but because of my previous knowledge gained through church attendance I was still able to pass the class with a fair grade.
Since that time however I have continued to read the scriptures for myself and not to fulfill a class assignment. I have gained much more from them because of this direct involvement. Scriptures also have a special nature about them that only the best of books contain. They are packed with so much depth, truth and wisdom that you can not gain it all in one reading. It is that depth of meaning that will bring you back again and again allowing you to discover new things each and every time.
Go ahead, pull out a classic you have always wondered about and treat yourself to some good literature. You'll never know what you will find or where it will lead you until you open that path and start traveling down it. You might be surprised. I know I was and still am with each new discovery as I continue to live in my world of wonder.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
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